The present invention relates to means for applying foamed treating liquor and more particularly to means for applying foamed treating liquor through a distribution chamber to a flat width of traveling substrate.
Applying foamed treating liquor to traveling textile substrates is practiced to advantage in the prior art by distributing the foamed liquor from an input conduit through a distribution chamber that distributes the foamed liquor transversely and delivers it to a nozzle extending transversely across a flat width traveling textile substrate to which the nozzle dispenses the foamed treating liquor. An effective prior art means of this type is disclosed in Clifford and Zeiffer U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,818, issued Dec. 9, 1980, entitled Means For Applying Treating Liquor To Textile Substrate, which discloses an upstanding distribution chamber that flares from a central collection section transversely as it extends vertically to the traveling substrate at which the distribution chamber is generally the same width as the applicator nozzle that applies foamed liquor across the width of the substrate. A cylindrical throttling member is adjustably positioned in the nozzle to provide and adjustable restriction for facilitating uniform distribution of the foamed treating liquor along the nozzle. Excellent results have been obtained in applying foamed treating liquor from below a traveling textile substrate with the means of this prior patent, but it is not readily adaptable to application from above a traveling substrate because of the tendency of the liquor to flow straight downwardly rather than transversely in a vertically extending distribution chamber and because a considerable height is required to accommodate the distribution chamber. Also, as it has relatively wide flat surfaces it is not inherently rigid, and, furthermore, the use of a cylindrical throttling member can cause an abrupt change in the flow that may make it difficult to control the quality and uniform distribution of the foamed treating liquor across the width of the traveling substrate.
The present invention provides an improvement over the means of the above-described prior art as it utilizes a cylindrically extending distribution chamber through which the foamed treating liquor flows generally circumferentially rather than vertically straight, the cylindrical shape reduces substantially the height required for a given flow length as compared with a vertical distribution chamber and the cylindrical construction is inherently more rigid than a flat construction. Furthermore, the present invention provides a plate-like flow restricting means of appreciable circumferential extent for smooth easily controlled action to facilitate uniform transverse distribution of the foamed treating liquor flowing therepast.